Re:2008: My year of living smaller
by timr on Sunday January 04, 2009 @07:09PM
(#419754)
"everything I own has to be packed away in a storage unit at the end of the school year. Therefore, the less I own, the less I have to store, and the better off I am. I've been working to get rid of a lot of things I don't need (how much clothing do I really need? Electronics? Trinkets?) and avoiding buying new things."
Well said. Whenever I've had the luxury of living somewhere for an extended period of time I've accumulated things, despite all efforts to the contrary. It's certainly less wasteful to save that half-used roll of wrapping paper than to buy another in 11 months, but it comes at the cost of having to keep it somewhere, and the need to be at least minimally aware of it. Before you know it, you've got to have a box for the wrapping paper rolls, and a closet in which to keep the box, and then you put other stuff in the closet, and....
When I moved to San Francisco, I got rid of everything that couldn't fit in one of those door-to-door moving crates. It was a cathartic exercise, and I've been surprised that I haven't missed anything that I eliminated. There's a lot to be said for throwing away everything you own to make a journey; it lets you focus on the things that actually matter.
Re:2008: My year of living smaller
by pageman on Monday January 05, 2009 @12:02AM
(#420026)
I have to agree with this (I'm thinking of that Stuff essay by Paul Graham) - I have stuff in Dubai, Kabul, Yangon - in boxes. I'm sixpence none the richer (experience-wise) without it.
Well said. Whenever I've had the luxury of living somewhere for an extended period of time I've accumulated things, despite all efforts to the contrary. It's certainly less wasteful to save that half-used roll of wrapping paper than to buy another in 11 months, but it comes at the cost of having to keep it somewhere, and the need to be at least minimally aware of it. Before you know it, you've got to have a box for the wrapping paper rolls, and a closet in which to keep the box, and then you put other stuff in the closet, and....
When I moved to San Francisco, I got rid of everything that couldn't fit in one of those door-to-door moving crates. It was a cathartic exercise, and I've been surprised that I haven't missed anything that I eliminated. There's a lot to be said for throwing away everything you own to make a journey; it lets you focus on the things that actually matter.